Nikolai Sherstnev: agriculture needs to be rejuvenated within five years
How to create conditions for life and work in the regions so that young people move to rural areas? This was the main goal of the trip to Chashniksky District by the leadership of the Vitebsk Region, headed by the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev.
The first stop on the route was Secondary School No. 1 in Novolukoml, which recently opened its doors after a major renovation. The renovation work began in the summer as part of the project "Modernization of the Education System of the Republic of Belarus". In a few months, builders have carried out a major overhaul of the building's roof, lightning protection system, replaced internal electrical and water supply networks, sewage, heating, and external storm sewers. A modern ventilation system was installed in the canteen, all door units in the school were replaced, linoleum was laid in the classrooms on the first floor, and mosaic floors in the corridors and cloakrooms were restored. The restrooms were faced with new ceramic tiles, and a separate facility for sanitary and hygiene procedures for physically challenged individuals was built.
As Faina Vishnevskaya, the director of Secondary School No. 1 in Novolukoml, said, students are learning the basics
30 schools in the region are participating in the project "Modernization of the Education System of the Republic of Belarus", including Secondary School No. 4 in Chashniki, where repair work is currently underway. As explained by the school principal Elena Dabatovkina, during the major repairs, students are distributed among other educational institutions in the district center.
To improve diagnostics in the region and
To avoid sending patients to regional healthcare facilities, the Chashniki District Hospital has installed a universal digital X-ray diagnostic complex "Uniexpert 3+" with three workstations. It consists of a table-stand, an imaging table with a floating tabletop, and a vertical stand. The device is designed for X-ray examinations of the spine, joints, hands, feet, and skull in sitting, lying, and standing positions, fluoroscopic examinations of the chest organs, and linear tomography.
– The images are taken both in analog and digital format, which we didn't have before. There is an option to record the result on a patient's disc. The floating deck ensures quick and accurate patient positioning, – said X-ray technician Yulia Poznyak about the complex's features.
The last stop on the regional leadership's route was the opening of a dairy farm in the village of Tyapino, OJSC "Prozemle-Agro". It houses 1400 head of cattle.
For people to work the land, there must be an incentive, at least financial. If the working conditions are outdated, it is impossible to achieve the desired results. Modern equipment and technologies will help achieve better results, which in turn will provide an opportunity for a decent salary.
– Within five years, we need to rejuvenate agriculture, – stated Nikolai Sherstnev. – The village is aging. Every year, the rural population decreases by 7–8 thousand. This is an average district. It is not difficult to estimate what will happen in the future. Therefore, we must make every effort to create the necessary conditions within five years. The village as it is now will cease to exist. We must create a modern village with large-scale production, powerful machinery, and large fields.
While there is no mass influx of people willing to work in the countryside, the farm manager must do everything necessary to retain a specialist, is convinced the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, and first and foremost – to provide housing, if there is notriple – to rent.
– The visit to the Chashniki district turned out to be multifaceted and ambiguous. We wanted to see how our strategy is being implemented: how career guidance in agriculture is carried out in schools, to show the head of the education department, whom I took with me today, the modern conditions in which young people should work. There will be high productivity and decent wages. We are already testing this model in the Chashniki district. But there is still a lot of work to be done in this direction, we are at the very beginning, – Nikolai Sherstnev summed up the trip.
